[Day 9, Late Afternoon]

The world reeling before his eyes, Jad tried not to lose his lunch as a girl
he recognized from *somewhere* approached him.  She made some noises that, due
to the blood roaring in his ears, Jad couldn't follow, then he felt himself
slide.  Slowly the world turned right-side up.

The firm ground under him at last, the young man resisted the overpowering
urge to empty the contents of his stomach.  The girl shoved his head down and
directed his breathing, and the need to vomit slowly dissipated. 

<snip from Jeanette's post Just Hanging Around>

His color returned slightly, and Sarilyn helped him up, answering the query in
her mind. "He's fine, love. A little green around the edges though." 

Jad blinked, and looked around, confused. And Sarilyn grinned. "Other side,
that's Lunath, she was asking how you were. And I'm Sarilyn, her rider. Now,
do you feel up to a short trip to the med center? I'll help you if you like."


Glancing up at the other dragon, Sarilyn smiled. "Bet you feel better now too.
And I'll see about getting you another set of straps, as I'm betting those are
slightly strained." Not recognizing either dragon or this new person, she
added quickly, "And welcome to Xylian Warren." 

<end snip>

Med Center?  *That* was where he recognized her from!  The other day in the
Med Center, when Koda had introduced him to her friend Billy...who had been
watching over this girl's bed!  The thought was a point of stability as the
world still whorled before his eyes.  

Sarilyn stood, offering her assistance to the blond man.  Availing himself of
her aid, he took a step in the direction in which she was leading him and
crumpled to the ground in pain.

The green-eyed girl dropped down beside him, this time looking closer at the
foot she had untangled from the leather riding straps.  It was bright red and
just starting to swell up.  Examining it further, she announced, "it looks
like you managed to sprain your ankle.  It's not broken, but we'd better get
you to the Med Center so that I can take care of it."

**********************************

<A little while later>

Jad hobbled into the room that the nurse had indicated that Gransol was
sharing with two other patients.   Looking around at the cots crammed into the
room, the young blond shook his head.  It sure was crowded in here, but it was
starting to empty.  The healers were starting to release the riders who were
less seriously injured in the monster attack that' occurred just as he'd
arrived.  

He limped over to stand beside Arkt'han, who was looking down at Gransol as he
slept.  The larger man looked up, glancing at Jad.  When he noticed the
bandage around the smaller man's leg he turned a questioning gaze at him.

"I twisted my ankle when I fell off Sylan during the landing," the blond
replied sheepishly.

The other man just nodded.  "I'm glad you're here.  I really should go have a
talk with Martyn about that catapult, but I didn't want to leave him alone, in
case he wakes up," he informed the shorter man, reaching down to stroke
Gransol's hair.  "Would you mind staying here with him for awhile?"

"Of course not.  Why do you think I came here after getting my ankle taken
care of?" Jad replied.  "Besides, I don't really have anywhere else to go."

************************

<Early Evening>

J'adoube had been sitting on a stool wedged between Gransol's cot and that of
one of the other two patients for several hours.  The knight had slept for an
hour or so after Jad's arrival, but had awakened from his pain-induced
unconsciousness before too long.  

Not long after Gransol's awakening one of the healers came in to check on his
foot.  A pretty woman, she apparently liked the look of the muscular knight. 


"I'm just going to take a look, and change the dressings," she pronounced,
smiling.  Gransol, his mind still in turmoil over his current relationships,
didn't even notice as she unwound the bandage from his foot, nor the fleeting
grimace that ensued.  As it was replaced almost immediately by her usual
competent smile, Jad, who had been watching, wasn't sure at first if he might
not have imagined it.  But when she reassuringly excused herself and slipped
out the door he knew.  

The young healer returned moments later, an older woman in tow.  The elder
took one look at the foot and nodded, and the two slipped back out again.  Jad
rose onto his non-twisted foot and hobbled over to the just barely-open door,
listening.

"...Yellowroot poisoning, all right," the older woman was saying.  Hearing the
word 'poison', J'adoube pushed the door the rest of the way open and hoppingly
advanced on the healers.  "What was that you just said about poison?" he
demanded.

"Your friend has Yellowroot poisoning in his foot. He's lucky.  The attacker
must not really have wanted to kill him. Yellowroot doesn't kill, it just
causes a painful infection.  Luckily it's easily treatable, if you're familiar
with it.  He'll be fine in another day or two...but he'll have to stay here,
where we can keep an eye on him.  The infection caused by Yellowroot poisoning
has a tendency to keep coming back until the body has had a chance to get rid
of all the stuff.  Would you mind waiting out here while we get the wound
cleaned out?

************************
[Day 10, Morning]

Gransol woke slowly as the medications they'd given him wore off.  Either his
foot felt quite a bit better or they'd really drugged him up...it was hard to
tell which.  He was just beginning to wonder when he became aware of a soft
snoring coming from just behind him and to his left.  

Turing his head, the bedridden knight found the source of the noise.  Jad had
apparently stayed by his bedside all night, and fallen asleep on a stool,
leaning back against the wall by the head of the bed, wrapped in a blanket
that one of the healers must have provided.  

Gransol smiled at the sight, for the younger man was in a rather precarious
position.  He was listing greatly to one side against the wall, and it seemed
that the slightest movement would probably send him to the floor.

Just then the Arkt'han walked in, swinging the door shut behind him.  The
noise of the thing slamming shut was enough to startle the sleeping man into
wakefulness and off his perch.

<tag Dave and Lyn>

************************

[Early Evening]

Jad hobbled out of the bathing room of Arkt'han's apartment, having just
bathed and changed.  The older rider had offered to let him stay here until
his own room could be excavated, or until a real apartment opened up.  The
youngish blond shook his head, focusing on the task of dressing.  If he didn't
hurry, he'd be late.  Tina was waiting for him.  He quickly finished with the
last of the buttons and limped out to the ledge. 

"Yes, you look much better bathed," commented Billy, who had been waiting to
take the young blond down to the rendezvous.  "Come on.  Mustn't be late...."

"Who all is going to be there?" Jad asked as he climbed up onto Chai's back. 
"You mentioned that you where going to invite Michael and Sarilyn...."

"Yes, I did.  Michael'll be there...but we'll have to wait and see about
Sari."

<Tag James and maybe Jeanette>

******************************

NRPG:  Sorry that this doesn't get me caught up...things have been pretty busy
here at college.  And, no, I'm not partying. <g>  This gets me a ways farther,
and I hope to have something out regarding the rockslide soon.


Respectfully Submitted:

David Hoover

Admin/J'adoube ^… M/X Warrens
Forrellyn & Pekin ^… Telnor Warren
T'drim ^… Jasra Warren
D'tagnan & Bonsai ^… Jasra Warren (At The Moment)


YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE  CAN THEY *BECOME*?  
-Death, "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett

"I play the game for the game's own sake."
                   -Sherlock Holmes

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